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Omega Defender Card Review

That’s a pretty interesting concept. It takes the “late game scaling” to another level. Generally, cards that are solid in the early/mid game, but also useful in the late game are great. This is a bit different. It’s average on the curve, but insane in the late game. 4 mana 12/6 Taunt is just nuts, but 4 mana 2/6 Taunt is literally Stegodon, a card that has seen exactly zero Constructed play.

When it comes to Omega cards, it’s clear that Druid will have a massive advantage at activating the Battlecry. After all, it’s the class that can get to 10 mana most easily, and now with the Biology Project it might be even easier. This card in particular doesn’t even ruin your Oaken Summons if you want to play it. While it’s worse than Ironwood Golem, a 2/6 Taunt with 6 Armor for 4 mana is still alright. So Big Druid might want to play it. On the other hand, it kind of messes up with your Master Oakheart, since it can be pulled out instead of Dragonhatcher, and that combo is obviously nuts.

Another deck that might want to run it is Taunt/Quest Warrior. Okay play on the curve, but gets a massive boost in the late game. That said, think that Taunt Warrior is already good enough after it finishes the Quest, so it might not need it.

Then again, Omega cards (not this one in particular) can be decent in Shudderwock Shaman. Not the current, combo build, but more like a Midrange/Control deck with Shudderwock finisher. Shudderwock will be most likely played when you already have 10 mana crystals, so all of the effects would go off. So you’d end up with +10 Attack on your Shudderwock in that case. Yes, this doesn’t seem very good, but other Omega cards might do something else – like heal you, deal damage etc.

Omega Defender is a really, really powerful Arena card. I mean, Stegodon is an okay 4-drop to pick. It’s above average, and Arena decks are filled with above average cards. So you basically get a Stegodon that gets a MASSIVE boost in the late game. Not only it’s a solid card on the curve, but it becomes a game-winning topdeck.

But in Constructed? Omega cards might have some potential if the effects will be really powerful. This one… isn’t THAT good. Of course, I’m not saying that a 4 mana 12/6 is bad, but a bunch of stats isn’t really something you want to run a suboptimal mid-game card for. I just don’t see a deck that would want to run it. Maybe some Druid deck instead of Ironwood Golem, but it heavily depends on the meta – the extra point of attack on Golem makes a big difference against lots of the early game minions. Also, remember that Turns 1-9 are usually majority of the game. So for the majority of the game this card is… pretty meh. So I don’t think that a pile of stats is worth that kind of sacrifice.

I could see a ramp omega Druid deck being really strong. Have all these flexible minions to play and sustain as you ramp up and then you get large threats like these later for cheap. If anything it’ll be a good trader while you set up for a huge drop.

I think people don’t give this idea much credit. You do sacrifice optimal stats for the cost of the normal drop but it’s not bad by any means, and then it provides a decent threat later on. Flexibility is worth at least a few tests I would say. Not amazing, but has potential.

I think this is a really weird card to print, or rather a really weird mechanic to print (since the card itself isn’t very good). This mechanic rewards control decks for doing the same thing they were going to do anyway, survive to the late game; it also grants druid a bonus because they make it to the late game in the mid game. The reason I think this is a really weird mechanic to print right now is because this helps two deck archetypes that are already very powerful right now. The witchwood expansion (after the nerfs) featured a slew of different control decks, most notably druid. In every other expansion blizzard has printed they almost always try to bring down the most powerful class or archetype in the hopes of shaking up the meta. Why then in this expansion do they decide to print cards with a mechanic that only benefits the already most powerful archetype. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not some sad aggro player that misses the old days of undertaker hunter and secret paladin, in fact one of my favorite playstyles in grinder decks, I just want to see a range of decks and archetypes from a range of classes, and cards like this seem to push for more of the same.

Could be played with void ripper or crazed alchemist for a 6/10 taunt instead of a 10/6. Also if you play this with murmuring elemental and crazed alchemist you get a 6/20 taunt. Not that great considering the mana cost, but would be an interesting combo.

It’s not very consistent. Shredders are also piloted by Goblins (I mean, the 4-drop is literally called PILOTED Shredder). So is Mekgineer Thermaplugg. And yet they’re all classified as Mechs.

Maybe they didn’t classify some of the cards as Mech here for balance reasons? Hard to say without knowing more cards, but it’s one of the possibilities. In my opinion, balance > consistency. But then, they could just give this card a different art (like a goblin with an exoskeleton) instead and the problem would be solved.

May have some utility in Big Druid, that’s about all I can think of. Seems like one of the gentle cards they’ve been using since the beginning of time to introduce a new mechanic. 4 mana 18 stats is obviously nuts, but on turn 10…what do you actually do with this?

Oh, right, Emeriss. Umm…is playing an 8/8 on turn 10 in order to play 72 stats of Taunt on turn 11 good? I doubt it, not when it’s so easy for classes to slot in Equality/Psychic Scream/Twisting Nether/Sap/etc. That would have to be your big game winning strategy, and it doesn’t sound like it will win a lot of games.

it won’t give 72 stats of taunt as the +10 are the battlecry these +10 will be applied only when played, emeriss doubles the stats in the hand, before they are played, so it will be 2x 4/12 with the battlecry+10 each
= 2×14/12 when played
= 52 stats of taunt for 8 mana on turn 11

At least this sort of card is more playable due to the versatility than a vanilla, but on turn 10, I can’t see a 12/6 taunt doing a whole lot. By that time, every late game deck should be able to deal with it readily. If it gained +5/+5 instead, playing two of these could force your opponent to use AOE removal, but as is, I can’t see this doing much.